Robin Spano's Blog, page 5
December 3, 2010
Kobo's On Board
Yay. I just heard from my evil publisher that Kobo is joining iBooks for next week's $1.99 ebook promotion. (December 7-13)
Okay, so ECW Press is actually pretty groovy - they're organizing this promotion period so we can see just how big an effect price has on e-book sales.
What we disagree on is the morality of ebook pricing. They like it high; I like it low. And it's ultimately their decision.
TRUE: They don't want the price at $10.99 because they're greedy whores, but because they're book lovers who don't want to devalue literature by slashing prices too low.
But I don't agree - I think $4.99 is the highest an ebook should be. It's so much cheaper to produce, and it's harder to lend out. If I had an e-reader, I don't see myself paying much more than that for a book.
But maybe I'm the one who's wrong.
Next week (December 7-13), I think my publisher and I will both learn something interesting: If tons of Dead Politician Society ebooks sell when they're $1.99 on iBooks & Kobo, that nasty ECW might concede that price is a factor - and lower the ebook price permanently. (They also might not.)
If not too many sell, then I might change my mind - and concede that price is not a huge factor in people's ebook purchases.
If you agree with my publisher, do nothing (ha ha, basically, prove his point). But if you agree with me, and you'd like to send a message to the publishing industry that an ebook should NOT be valued the same way as a print book, do 1 of 2 things:
1. Buy the book for $2 when the sale comes up on the iBooks or Kobo store.
Or - because not all books are for all people, and you may want to help prove the point without actually buying the book -
2. Post a link to this promotion on Twitter or Facebook or anywhere your mystery-loving friends might find it.
Together, we can change this industry, and bring it into the future.
Okay, so ECW Press is actually pretty groovy - they're organizing this promotion period so we can see just how big an effect price has on e-book sales.
What we disagree on is the morality of ebook pricing. They like it high; I like it low. And it's ultimately their decision.
TRUE: They don't want the price at $10.99 because they're greedy whores, but because they're book lovers who don't want to devalue literature by slashing prices too low.
But I don't agree - I think $4.99 is the highest an ebook should be. It's so much cheaper to produce, and it's harder to lend out. If I had an e-reader, I don't see myself paying much more than that for a book.
But maybe I'm the one who's wrong.
Next week (December 7-13), I think my publisher and I will both learn something interesting: If tons of Dead Politician Society ebooks sell when they're $1.99 on iBooks & Kobo, that nasty ECW might concede that price is a factor - and lower the ebook price permanently. (They also might not.)
If not too many sell, then I might change my mind - and concede that price is not a huge factor in people's ebook purchases.
If you agree with my publisher, do nothing (ha ha, basically, prove his point). But if you agree with me, and you'd like to send a message to the publishing industry that an ebook should NOT be valued the same way as a print book, do 1 of 2 things:
1. Buy the book for $2 when the sale comes up on the iBooks or Kobo store.
Or - because not all books are for all people, and you may want to help prove the point without actually buying the book -
2. Post a link to this promotion on Twitter or Facebook or anywhere your mystery-loving friends might find it.
Together, we can change this industry, and bring it into the future.
December 2, 2010
$1.99 E-Book December 7-13, 2010
I don't have an e-reader, but it's easy enough to see that the world is going digital fast.
I'm lucky to be working with a very cool publisher, ECW Press, who is riding this cutting edge with their eyes open.
The Dead Politician Society e-book is normally $10.99. When I first saw that, I thought, wow, that's expensive - who would pay $11 for something they can't even hold in their hand.
So I asked my publisher: Can we lower the price?
Their answer impressed me. They're reluctant to lower the price indefinitely, because they don't want to devalue books in general. They pointed out that someone will pay more than that to see a movie or buy a couple of beers, both of which entertain them for less time. And the cost of production is still high - writers and Canadian small presses are not laughing all the way to the bank at the moment. So they felt the normal price was fair - to readers, writers, and them.
BUT - and this is one of the reasons I love ECW Press for their open-minded awesomeness - they agreed to try an experiment.
For one week. Tuesday December 7th - Monday December 13th, Dead Politician Society will be available for $1.99 as an e-book from Apple.
If Dead Politician Society sounds cool but you haven't picked it up yet, or if you know a friend who likes fast-paced mysteries with young female heroines, help show us IF price is a factor in your e-book purchasing decision.
And if you have an opinion on the subject, please feel free to weigh in. This is a tricky industry we're all navigating!
I'm lucky to be working with a very cool publisher, ECW Press, who is riding this cutting edge with their eyes open.
The Dead Politician Society e-book is normally $10.99. When I first saw that, I thought, wow, that's expensive - who would pay $11 for something they can't even hold in their hand.
So I asked my publisher: Can we lower the price?
Their answer impressed me. They're reluctant to lower the price indefinitely, because they don't want to devalue books in general. They pointed out that someone will pay more than that to see a movie or buy a couple of beers, both of which entertain them for less time. And the cost of production is still high - writers and Canadian small presses are not laughing all the way to the bank at the moment. So they felt the normal price was fair - to readers, writers, and them.
BUT - and this is one of the reasons I love ECW Press for their open-minded awesomeness - they agreed to try an experiment.
For one week. Tuesday December 7th - Monday December 13th, Dead Politician Society will be available for $1.99 as an e-book from Apple.
If Dead Politician Society sounds cool but you haven't picked it up yet, or if you know a friend who likes fast-paced mysteries with young female heroines, help show us IF price is a factor in your e-book purchasing decision.
And if you have an opinion on the subject, please feel free to weigh in. This is a tricky industry we're all navigating!
November 27, 2010
Cover Art Question
Hey - ECW Press just hooked me up with 2 nifty cover drafts for the 2nd Clare Vengel book - Death Plays Poker - due out next fall.
I would love your feedback to make the cover awesome. Which cover do you like better? What would you change to take it to the next level?
I don't know how to add images on Goodreads, so I'm linking to the image on Facebook!
Thanks for your help!
Robin
I would love your feedback to make the cover awesome. Which cover do you like better? What would you change to take it to the next level?
I don't know how to add images on Goodreads, so I'm linking to the image on Facebook!
Thanks for your help!
Robin
